5/30/2009

I've always separated oscillators and modules into two categories, traditional music and sound design. Naturally many modules are in both categories but some insist on staying in one category such as this Macbeth 3U X- Series Dual Oscillator below. This is the most musical/old school oscillator module I've probably heard though I'm sure this thing can get mental very easily like his M5N. I'm excited to see that Macbeth has taken the plunge from the 5U format into the more road friendly 3U Euro format!Pre-order here.

Regarding the *patch*- basically I recorded this this neeat from my monitors acoustically into the tiny speaker of my D90 camera. There wasn't really a patch as such- just 1V/Oct CV in- and three different recordings of dual square wave outputs, oscillator internal synch, and some sawtooth lead stuff. The Oscs are going thru the 5U 'backend' filter prototype which is mostly wide open. Being the end of the day- I wanted to recorded with some delay and let rip! There are seperate external sync inputs on this thing and one internal synch between the two oscs via a panel switch- this internal synch gives some pretty searing lead stuff! This was effectively the first time I fired up the 3U dual osc to record with- I wanted to show via vid- just what fun the 10 turn freq pots are. They are really playable- and finding fifths, thirds, ninths etc are very easy to do after playing around with them mad style. The 10 turn pots are compulsive!

5/24/2009

Stole this from Matrixsynth. I haven't listened to it yet cause I have metal blasting and I'm in the middle of running around my room with fake blood and an inverted cross on my chest. Dag, this video is making me hungry...

5/18/2009

This is the coolest video I've ever seen! And I mean it! (For now) I want this to be a feature length film. I have no idea what it would be about, but I don't care, it's that awesome (well, to me). Anyway, this is the OFFF festival's 2009 Main Title opening and it was created by Kyle Cooper, Ilya Abulhanov and Elizabeth Newman. Yeah ok, there are no synthesizers present, but you will find excellent music/sound design/visuals. If you came here for just synthesizers, please GTFO.

Since 2001, OFFF festival has been held in Barcelona, becoming the globally recognized and trendsetting event it is today. The three-day festival showcases top digital artists, web, print and interactive designers, motion graphics studios, and new music adventurous.

5/15/2009

Elaine Walker + C-Thru Music Axis keyboard + Bohlen-Pierce Scale + Baloney the Cat equals an introduction into some incredible possibilities and perhaps shakes you up out of your dang 12 tone octaves! If you are curious what it sounds like in a pop context, listen to this: HERE. Otherwise enjoy the video below. Also if you feel like diving deeper into this - the video is only one of many parts and Elaine is, for me, interesting to listen to.

If you want to see the complete opposite of what is talked about above......

5/14/2009

This is a last call for the Trash_Audio meet up this saturday. Drop an e-mail to the right and we'll send you the information on getting there and what you need to bring. Should be extravagant.

Anyways, someone at Vice spammed us saying that we should post the video below. He probably knew how to use google and typed in 'synth blog' or 'virgins in Chicago' and found us. The video itself is actually a great introduction into granular synthesis and an informative narrative on one of the founders approach towards it. This video is 2 of 3. See you at the party.

5/13/2009

I haven't downloaded this yet, honestly, I don't really feel like it. But YOU might, so check it out and tell me if it's worth installing. I try to keep my Audio Unit folder pretty minimal but I do use all the Ohm Force products which are top quality and are excellent for trashing things. I could do without cartoons all over my interfaces though.

You just NEED some Cohmpost in your music. Get it in AU for Mac, VST for Mac or VST for Windows. For your information, no kittens were harmed while creating the Cohmpost (just a bit ruffled, promise). Lawyer warning : Please do not use Ohm Force Cohmpost Mac version unless you totally agree with the license agreement.

5/11/2009

Originally Justin and I were going to release a total of four albums today but a combination of things have held us back. On my side there are two short albums on polar opposites of the musical spectrum but unifying themes intersect them. Surachai is a metal release while the deep element is a melodic electronic project. Those two are below ready for your consumption. Justin has two releases under the Polyfuse name and they are a clear departure from his old self titled releases while keeping the familiarity in quality. Those two will be available in the near future. And while our music is fine and dandy be sure to really pay attention to the artwork from Bridget Driessen on Surachai and Polyfuse, her pieces are killer and I'm glad she's on our side! For the deep element I had Birgit Schmidt pump something out. She, too, rules hard. Hopefully we'll arrange a small tour this summer, if you have any open dates let us know at trash@thedeepelement.com

5/07/2009

I know Gur has been working on this for a little bit, insisting that this particular filter is the shit, next month we will be able to confirm that it is indeeduhlee so. Pop on over to Tip Top Audio to .... basically see what I just posted below. Can't wait to tell you what he has in store after this....

We are happy to announce our next module in the Z series: The Z2040 A 24db 4-Pole Voltage Controlled Lowpass Filter, an implementation based on the original US patent of the SSM2040 filter chip used in the Prophet 5 Rev2 synthesizer. The Z2040 also adds a lot of extra features on top of the original 4-pole discrete OTA core allowing extra modulation capability, extended flexibility and control over this deep cut-off low pass filtering core. The Z2040 is capable of producing thick, overdriven grit as well as warm, smooth sweeps. The Z2040 will be available through Analogue Heaven and Schniders Beuro starting June 20

5/06/2009

Interesting....after the DIGG Dialog with Kevin Rose, Trent decided that he wanted to tap the resources of his fans by allowing them to assemble a list of questions and then have a specific moderator actually ask the questions via web cam. The fans organized themselves, voted up moderators, voted on a list of questions...and the results are above!

5/04/2009

Chicago people, I am playing two different shows this week. The first is tomorrow night at the great Sonotheque. Benn Jordan will be doing a live score to David Attenborough's The Living Planet and I'll be doing something a little heavier with live video processing by Merkaba. Oh, and the best news is that the show is FREE.

Then on Saturday, I am playing at Kinetic Playground for Mistress Xena's birthday bash. Surachai is out of town at the moment and I am hoping he can join me for both shows to do processing with his Korg Triton Doepfer/Livewire/Cwejman/Harvestman suitcase. Should be an interesting week. Details: